Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” by Brokerages

Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) have been given an average rating of “Hold” by the eleven analysts that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and five have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price target among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $231.44.

Several research analysts recently commented on the company. Bank of America cut Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $190.00 price target for the company. in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. The Goldman Sachs Group cut Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $192.00 price target for the company. in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Barclays reduced their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $279.00 to $261.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 7th. Piper Sandler cut Becton, Dickinson and Company from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their price target for the company from $260.00 to $185.00 in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $280.00 to $224.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 2nd.

Insider Buying and Selling at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other news, EVP Richard Byrd sold 1,940 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $224.91, for a total value of $436,325.40. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 7,411 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,666,808.01. The trade was a 20.75% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 700 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $227.99, for a total transaction of $159,593.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 36,033 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,215,163.67. The trade was a 1.91% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 3,578 shares of company stock worth $795,986 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Becton, Dickinson and Company

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of BDX. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.8% in the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 45,434 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $10,954,000 after acquiring an additional 797 shares during the period. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. boosted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2.5% in the fourth quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 5,888 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,336,000 after acquiring an additional 143 shares during the period. Czech National Bank boosted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 6.4% in the fourth quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 62,670 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $14,218,000 after acquiring an additional 3,790 shares during the period. Aprio Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 33.9% during the fourth quarter. Aprio Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,162 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $264,000 after purchasing an additional 294 shares during the period. Finally, Trust Co. of Toledo NA OH lifted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 30.3% during the fourth quarter. Trust Co. of Toledo NA OH now owns 1,091 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $248,000 after purchasing an additional 254 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Up 4.8%

BDX stock opened at $175.22 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 0.63. The stock has a market capitalization of $50.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.11, a P/E/G ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.31. The business has a 50-day moving average of $207.87 and a 200-day moving average of $222.48. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a fifty-two week low of $163.33 and a fifty-two week high of $251.99.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.35 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.28 by $0.07. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 15.74% and a net margin of 8.47%. The firm had revenue of $5.27 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.35 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $3.17 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 9th will be paid a $1.04 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 9th. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.37%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is 79.39%.

Becton, Dickinson and Company announced that its board has initiated a stock repurchase plan on Tuesday, January 28th that allows the company to repurchase 10,000,000 outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the medical instruments supplier to reacquire shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are typically a sign that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Company Profile

Becton, Dickinson and Company develops, manufactures, and sells medical supplies, devices, laboratory equipment, and diagnostic products for healthcare institutions, physicians, life science researchers, clinical laboratories, pharmaceutical industry, and the general public worldwide. The company operates in three segments: BD Medical, BD Life Sciences, and BD Interventional.